Lebanon: RSF addresses ten recommendations to new government led by former ICJ president
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in a policy roadmap consisting of ten key recommendations, calls on Lebanon’s new government, led by Nawaf Salam, the former president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to prioritise the fight against impunity and to bring to justice the perpetrators of the crimes committed against 12 journalists since 2005.
Reforms in press freedom and the right to reliable information in Lebanon are urgently necessary. Years of political deadlock and repression, a financial crisis that has eroded newsrooms, and a war with Israel where journalists became targets caused the country to drop 21 ranks in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
The day after his appointment as the new Minister of Information in Nawaf Salam's government, Paul Morcos announced that his priorities would include revising a media law aimed at "regulating media freedoms and revitalising public television." RSF, which held a productive dialogue with his predecessor, Ziad Makari, urges him to adopt ten strategic goals for the sector, starting with the fight against impunity for crimes committed against journalists.
"RSF is presenting ten proposals to Lebanon’s new government to protect its citizens’ right to independent and pluralistic information. The reforms promised by this government must start with strengthening press freedom and protecting journalists. This can only be achieved by delivering justice for the journalists killed in Lebanon. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam — former president of the ICJ — must prioritise the fight against impunity and prosecute those responsible for the murders of the 12 journalists killed on the job since 2005."
The ten RSF recommendations:
- End the systemic impunity that protects the perpetrators of crimes against journalists. Relaunch independent investigations into the murders of journalists killed while working; RSF counts at least 12 since 2005. These include prominent journalist Samir Kassir and An-Nahar editor-in-chief Gebran Tueni, whose 2005 assassinations are attributed to the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah; columnist Lokman Slim, killed in 2021 following critiques of Hezbollah; and Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah, killed by a targeted Israeli strike on 13 October, 2023, according to six independent investigations, including one by RSF. All the perpetrators of these crimes must be prosecuted.
- Ensure that journalists facing legal complaints are referred to the competent judicial authority, namely the Publications Court, as stipulated by Lebanese law. Prevent the abusive summoning of journalists by unqualified entities such as the Criminal Investigation Center, General Security, the Military Tribunal, or the Anti-Cybercrime Bureau. This protection must apply to independent journalists, bloggers, and employees of traditional as well as digital media. In January and February of this year alone, independent media outlets Megaphone News and Daraj Media were subjected to abusive summonses by the Anti-cybercrime Bureau.
- Reform the legal framework by adopting a media law that incorporates the recommendations of journalists and local organisations, such as the Samir Kassir Foundation, RSF’s partner, the Alternative Press Syndicate (APS) gathering, and Unesco. The law must protect journalists and both traditional and digital media in accordance with the Lebanese Constitution and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It must not be manipulated for political or repressive purposes.
- Strengthen the independence of newsrooms by implementing regulations and mechanisms that protect media outlets and journalists from political and financial pressure.
- Uphold journalists’ right to organise. Protect unions and other organisations that work to defend press freedom while ensuring compliance with relevant legal provisions.
- Simplify the process for granting media licenses to encourage pluralism and combat media concentration.
- Address and follow up on journalists’ security concerns, whether related to physical threats or online harassment. Deter defamatory attacks against journalists at the political level and work with digital platforms to implement security mechanisms that protect reporters online.
- Ensure journalists' right to freely cover all Lebanese territory in full safety and in accordance with national laws and the Constitution.
- Enhance the physical protection of journalists and media personnel by implementing security measures tailored to those covering conflict zones, to prevent attacks and intimidation. Train law enforcement officers to respect press freedom, particularly during protests and public events. The new government can rely on RSF and its regional press freedom center in Beirut for support.
- Guarantee access to information by facilitating the consultation of public documents and fostering a culture of government transparency.
